Owl Creek Mountains, Wyoming
Alexandria Red Cloud drew her legs closer to her body to ward off the cold. She wanted her mommy and her daddy. She was hungry and needed to go to the bathroom. She looked over to the birdman. Her grandmother called him "animiki." He stood at the entrance of the cave and just watched. Alexandria laid her head down on her knees and cried.

Axel led Mike and Vicki to where his truck and horse trailer were parked. Besides it, three horses stood saddled and waiting. Vicki stopped up short seeing the horses. "You want me to ride one of those?" Living in the city, she hardly even saw horses, let alone ridden one. She shook her head. No way.

"That's why you're riding Firefeet." Axel gestured to the regal grey palfrey that was eying the demon with a curious look. "Fire's a bit on the older side and well broken in. Perfect trail horse."

Mike looked at the horse, the back to Vicki. Vicki was blind already without any lights, and now this…thing…wanted Vicki to ride a horse into the darkness. "Vick, if you want to stay here," he started, trying to give Vicki a way out.

Vicki never let him finish that sentence. She knew Mike was going to suggest she sit this one out because of her vision. She was going blind but she was not helpless. Not yet. She grabbed the saddle horn and pulled herself up into the saddle. "I'm a fast learner."

As Axel leaned in to adjust the stirrups and reins, he whispered low, as for Mike not to overhear, "Horses have better night vision then humans. She'll guide you just fine." He straitened up and patted the horse on the neck. Vicki still seemed weary but a bit more on the confident side. Axel was not sure if she was going with them because she wanted to or because she had to prove her abilities over her blindness. It did not matter either way. The horse was able to do the work for the both of them.

"Now you," he turned to Mike. "Saddle up." He pointed to one of the Quarter Horses.

Henry drove in silence. He managed to find a rental agency open and headed out into the territory of another vampire. While his own territory was limited to central Toronto, he did not know how far Nyte had claimed. If she were angry, she would have full right to be. He was not here to usurp her territory or destroy the life she had made, he was Vicki's work partner, and there was a case that needed to be solved.
A dark shape blotted out the silver of moon for a moment. Henry could make out a large winged beast. Not quite a bird but bird-like. Every culture had its own myths and crytozoological creatures. In England, Old Shuck was the local favorite. The native peoples had their Thunderbird.

East Anglia, England, 1577
The former Duke of Richmond and Summerset bowed his head in prayer. The sun had set just in time for him to join evening service. Having been a vampire for several years now, Henry could not simply forget his obligations to his faith. A commotion from outside caused his head to jerk up. Suddenly a large black down appeared in the church and ran down the nave much to the surprise of the congregation. "Demon, Devil" they shrieked. Outside the sky was thundering. An ominous sign of the work of the Devil to be sure.

By the time, the rampage was over, two people were dead, and the Demon-Dog had left strange scorch marks on the church doors. Flustered, the Reverend prayed for God's mercy, sure the dog was a sign the end of time was near.

Owl Creek Mountains, Wyoming
As they rode the trail, shining lights into the dense brush and calling the child's name, Vicki felt more comfortable on the horse. Axel was right, she was an excellent trail horse, making her way on the rough trail with little guiding from Vicki. "What kind of horse is she?" Vicki asked as they rode.

Axel did not glance back, "Andalusian. Ancient breed, used as cavalry mounts by the Greeks and the Romans. Nyte breeds them and Lippizzans for show jumping and dressage. Firefeet use to be her old riding horse, till she started going lame and Nyte retired her."

"What is it you do?" Mike asked curious. He had some information on Nyte. Basics with large gaps but he had an idea of what her public life was. Axel, however, was a blank slate. Other then a property deed and a few financial records, he could not find anything.

"Jack-of-all-trades mostly. Lately it's been ranching and horse breeding. Quarters and Morgans, while Nyte's been handling the Spanish horses. She's been trying to get a stock of Friesians going too." Axel knew the question was the start of a fishing expedition. The man was good, but Axel was better at deflecting questions. "Ever seen one of those? Black Belgian draft horse that stands about 5 1/2 feet at the shoulder. They're mostly show horses but I've been working them into ranching. Really keeps the cows in line." And with that, Detective Celluci's questions were deflected without him even realizing.

Five Days Earlier
John Red Cloud laughed as he watched his three-year-old daughter played in the river. She shrieked with joy and pointed to the trout. John was only a few years older when his father and tribal elder took him into the woods for a weeklong bonding rite. Years later, John made the same journey into the mountains alone on his quest to become a man. Alexandria as a girl child was not expected to undergo that same rite, but John wanted to share the love of the country with his daughter.

A sound like a thousand drumbeats sounded. John felt the whoosh of air push down on him. He looked to see the Animiki, the thunderbird grab his daughter. Blinded by the urge to protect his child, John ran at the God, with a stick in hand. He was not going to let his daughter be taken.

Present Day
Axel paused his horse and looked to the sky. They had been out about four hours and the night was getting colder. Glancing back to his two charges, he made his decision. "Alright, we'll head back and you two can start again in the morning with the rest of the teams." He was frustrated they had not found anything but after searching now for over a week, Axel knew if the did find anything, it would be a corpse. Still he owed John Red Cloud more then that. His little girl was out there and if it helped Lucy make peace, Axel would search until the body was found. Nyte would join him when she returned, but she was still in San Francisco for at least two more days.

They rode back in silence, the full weight of the fruitless search hitting them. Both Vicki and Mike were cops. They knew the likelihood of finding a missing persons decreased as time went on, added to the near freezing temperatures at night. Axel slowed his horse once more, sniffing the wind. He thought he heard something but whatever it was, it was upwind. He tensed, shifting in the saddle. He could hear the rider. The horse was going at a canter and by the sound of the shoes hitting the ground; Axel knew it was not a horse breed for ranching. He quieted his horse. Judging by the sounds, the rider would break through the trees right in front of him.

Mike narrowed his eyes as Axel paused. Then he heard it, another rider on the trail. The trees to his right snapped and a dark black horse and rider crashed through them, heading right for them. Vicki jumped hearing the sounds; though in the darkness she could barely make out her hand in front of her, let alone anything else. Her mount, however remained calm.

"Jes…" Axel swore as the weight of the horse's shoulder crashed into his leg. He was off by a few feet it would seem. The other rider struggled with keeping her horse from rearing up in fright. Seems she had misjudged as well. After a few seconds, the Andalusian stallion calmed and was back under Nyte's control.

Nyte swore under her breath in a litany of several languages. She had not planned on running into Axel at full speed and she had not planned on him having company.

"Jesus H. Christ woman" Mike swore, his heart still racing. "Are you completely crazy?"

Nyte narrowed her eyes and did not answer. The detective would not like the answer. Axel decided to cut her off at the pass and jumped in on the recent developments on the missing child.

Nyte rode in irritated silence as her husband brought her up to speed. She listened politely but she was far from being altruistic. In fact, Nyte was not paying any attention to Axel at all.

Her mind was elsewhere. Lot number 2511 was an antique steamer trunk, contents sold unseen. She recognized it at once. It was the trunk she brought with her from England. Nyte was born in France, but educated abroad as was most nobles of power in that age were. She returned when she reached debutante age and was launched on high Parisian society. When Nyte fled one step ahead of the Reign of Terror, she left her possessions behind. She was dead after all. The trunk would be delivered in a few hours.

"The Elders believe it's a Thunderbird….Marie?" Axel noticed the far off look in his wife's eyes.

Nyte blinked and returned to the present. "Marie Delex," she said suddenly.

"Who?" Celluci asked speaking for the first time since Nyte joined them.

Nyte looked over her shoulder at the Italian copy with a pitying look in her eye. She mumbled something under her breath. Axel shot her an irritated look. Nyte was not going to start a fight, not here, not now. He could sense a change in her – something at the auction had set her off.

"Marie Delex. 5-years-old. Carried off by a large bird in 1838 Switzerland. Found her body two months later, mutilated. 1878, Missouri, 8-year-old boy was taken and dropped to his death. 1985 in West Virginia, same thing happened to a ten-year-old. All taken by a very large bird."

"And you think it's the same creature?" Vicki asked. Since meeting Henry, she started to look closely at Folklore. Folk tales often had a bit of truth in them.

"Could be. In all cases, it was a large bird. Either mass hysteria or a Thunderbird. Someone pissed off one of the local protector spirits of the Lakota." Nyte seemed almost concerned and interested…almost.

"CR Developments is building that shopping mall down near the lake," Axel added.

"That would do it," Vicki added. Things were strangely starting to make sense to her.

Nyte suddenly stopped her horse and sat up strait, sniffing the air. Frowning, she said, "Storm front coming." And with that, she pulled the reins sharply to the left and soon disappeared into the treeline.

Axel shook his head, hoping the distraction of the storm would return Nyte to her usual mood. He felt the stirring of cold air earlier and now the wind settled in the pit of his stomach. A passing storm would not bode will for the survival of Lucy's granddaughter. "Com' on, we need to get in before the snow starts blowing." Axel headed up the trail. He could see the lights of home just ahead.

Henry could feel the storm coming. The wards Nyte and her husband placed around the house rankled him. His beast screamed at him to fight. This was another's territory. He could not sense the diminutive vampire, but that did not reassure him. The entire ranch screamed at him to leave.

Henry turned hearing three riders coming from the trees. Three riders and three heartbeats.

He leaned back against his car and waited for Vicki. The sight of her on a horse was more then enough to bring a smile to his face.

The God looked out over his domain. The seasons were turning. The dawn would bring snow. He spread his wings and took to the sky.